1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a cartridge holder apparatus and especially to a cartridge holder apparatus for a magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
One type of tape streamer on the market used as an external storage apparatus for a computer includes the same rotating drum and tape loading mechanism as those of VCRs and uses a tape cartridge as a magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus.
Today, the storage capacity of a tape streamer is as much as 72 Gbytes in a compress mode, for example. However, there has been a demand for a higher storage capacity from customers, so that manufacturers have made an improvement of tape streamers.
One method for improving the storage capacity is to use a tape cartridge with a different size in order to house a magnetic tape having a tape width greater than that of a magnetic tape of an existing tape cartridge.
A magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus employing a tape cartridge includes an automatic tape cartridge installation device for moving a tape cartridge holder holding an inserted tape cartridge and automatically installing the tape cartridge.
In order to use the above-mentioned tape cartridge with a different size, the tape cartridge holder must be configured to be capable of having an existing tape cartridge and a different size tape cartridge, which are selectively inserted, and properly holding both tape cartridges.
In a tape cartridge holder of a conventional automatic tape cartridge installation device, only those tape cartridges with the same outside dimensions are inserted thereinto.
In order to use the different size tape cartridge, it is necessary to realize a tape cartridge holder capable of holding the existing tape cartridge and the different size tape cartridge, which are selectively inserted.